---
name: "sessreg"
section: "1x"
platform: "linux"
package: "xutils"
version: "4.3.0.dfsg.1-14sarge7"
release: "Debian 3.1 (Sarge)"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/sessreg/1x"
---

# sessreg(1x)

manage utmp/wtmp entries for non-init clients

## NAME

sessreg - manage utmp/wtmp entries for non-init clients

## SYNOPSIS

**sessreg** \[-w *wtmp-file*\] \[-u *utmp-file*\] \[-l *line-name*\] \[-h *host-name*\] \[-s *slot-number*\] \[-x *Xservers-file*\] \[-t *ttys-file*\] \[-a\] \[-d\] *user-name*

## DESCRIPTION

*Sessreg* is a simple program for managing utmp/wtmp entries for xdm sessions.

System V has a better interface to /etc/utmp than BSD; it dynamically allocates entries in the file, instead of writing them at fixed positions indexed by position in /etc/ttys.

To manage BSD-style utmp files, *sessreg* has two strategies.  In conjunction with xdm, the -x option counts the number of lines in /etc/ttys and then adds to that the number of the line in the Xservers file which specifies the display.  The display name must be specified as the "line-name" using the -l option.  This sum is used as the "slot-number" in /etc/utmp that this entry will be written at.  In the more general case, the -s option specifies the slot-number directly.  If for some strange reason your system uses a file other that /etc/ttys to manage init, the -t option can direct *sessreg* to look elsewhere for a count of terminal sessions.

Conversely, System V managers will not ever need to use these options (-x, -s and -t).  To make the program easier to document and explain, *sessreg* accepts the BSD-specific flags in the System V environment and ignores them.

BSD and Linux also have a host-name field in the utmp file which doesn't exist in System V.  This option is also ignored by the System V version of *sessreg*.

## USAGE

In Xstartup, place a call like:

```
       sessreg -a -l $DISPLAY -x /usr/X11R6/lib/xdm/Xservers $USER
```

and in Xreset:

```
       sessreg -d -l $DISPLAY -x /usr/X11R6/lib/xdm/Xservers $USER
```

## OPTIONS

- **-w** *wtmp-file*

  This specifies an alternate wtmp file, instead of /usr/adm/wtmp for BSD or /etc/wtmp for sysV.  The special name "none" disables writing records to /usr/adm/wtmp.

- **-u** *utmp-file*

  This specifies an alternate utmp file, instead of "/etc/utmp".  The special name "none" disables writing records to /etc/utmp.

- **-l** *line-name*

  This describes the "line" name of the entry.  For terminal sessions, this is the final pathname segment of the terminal device filename (e.g. ttyd0).  For X sessions, it should probably be the local display name given to the users session (e.g. :0).  If none is specified, the terminal name will be determined with [ttyname(3)](/ttyname/3.md) and stripped of leading components.

- **-h** *host-name*

  This is set for BSD hosts to indicate that the session was initiated from a remote host.  In typical xdm usage, this options is not used.

- **-s** *slot-number*

  Each potential session has a unique slot number in BSD systems, most are identified by the position of the *line-name* in the /etc/ttys file. This option overrides the default position determined with [ttyslot(3)](/ttyslot/3.md). This option is inappropriate for use with xdm, the -x option is more useful.

- **-x** *Xservers-file*

  As X sessions are one-per-display, and each display is entered in this file, this options sets the *slot-number* to be the number of lines in the *ttys-file* plus the index into this file that the *line-name* is found.

- **-t** *ttys-file*

  This specifies an alternate file which the *-x* option will use to count the number of terminal sessions on a host.

- **-a**

  This session should be added to utmp/wtmp.

- **-d**

  This session should be deleted from utmp/wtmp.  One of -a/-d must be specified.

## SEE ALSO

[xdm(1)](/xdm/1.md)

## AUTHOR

Keith Packard, MIT X Consortium